Chinese Balloonist Rescued At Sea By Japanese Coast Guard

A photo released by Japan's 11th Regional Coast Guard shows a hot air balloon whose Chinese occupant was rescued on Wednesday after a failed attempt to reach a disputed islands chain.

UncreditedAP

Originally published on January 2, 2014 2:03 pm

A Chinese balloonist has been rescued by the Japanese Coast Guard after coming down in the East China Sea short of his intended destination — a tiny island chain that's part of a territorial tug of war between Beijing and Tokyo.

"Xu Shuaijun, a 35-year-old cook, set out from Fujian province on Wednesday morning, aiming to land on one of the islets in the Japan-controlled [Senkaku] chain, which China claims as Diaoyu and Taiwan as Tiaoyutai, the Coast Guard official said.

"He sent out a distress call after encountering trouble near the islets in the East China Sea, the official said.

"A Japanese rescue helicopter found the balloon 22 km [13 miles] south of the chain and rescued Xu, who was unhurt, the official said. He was handed over to a Chinese patrol ship outside of Japanese waters."

The New York Times says it was Taiwanese authorities who alerted the Japanese to Xu's water landing.

"The Chinese vessel thanked the Coast Guard via radio for the rescue operation," the Japanese Coast Guard said.

There was no mention of Xu's condition after his rescue.

As the Times writes:

"Chinese nationals have occasionally attempted to land on the contested islands to press the country's territorial claims, with a group of protesters who set off from Hong Kong going so far as to plant a flag on an island before being detained by the Japanese Coast Guard.

"The attempted balloon landing and peaceful resolution came amid tension between China and Japan over their conflicting territorial claims, a recent visit by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to a shrine seen by many as a symbol of his country's wartime aggression and China's announcement of an air defense identification zone that encompasses the disputed maritime areas.

"It was also a far cry from other recent doings in the similarly contentious South China Sea, where a United States Navy cruiser almost collided in December with a Chinese ship during routine maneuvers in the contested waters, raising new fears of military conflict."